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Michelle Benjamin
now I heard there was a secret chord Michelle, a representation of the biblical Michal, has the unfortunate habit of always being blinded by her own better nature, and faith in those she loves. This means her betrayal, by her father, her brother, and finally, her mother (although betrayal is somewhat under debate) has left her terribly scarred, emotionally. Despite this, Michelle does crave her family, as they are the only ones that can understand her situation. In particular, she hopes to be reunited not only with David, but also her brother, Jack. that David played and he pleased the lord David is Michelle's husband -- as they were married by the angelic Reverend Samuels -- just prior to David's having to flee to Gath, and Michelle being sent into exile. Despite her deep and abiding love for David -- she, at first thinks she breaks her vow to God to be with him -- her loyalties are divided between her husband and her child. As it was believed she was unable to have children, Elishaba is probably her only chance at motherhood. The chance of david only ever having one heir means that she will always choose Elisheba over David. It is not a sign of a lack of love, or lack of faith, but Elishaba is a child, and David's only heir. This means something as God has determined David's destiny. Also, David is a full grown, capable, adult. This choice was first demonstrated when she did not testify at his trial, to avoid further scrutiny from her father, until a course of action was decided to hide her pregnancy from him. Despite her initial belief, being married to David and providing his heir, is a fulfillment of her vow, as she lives for her child, and the good of her husband's legacy, not for herself. Elisheba was born slightly early. All of Michelle's previous medical conditions meant that she could not carry her quite to term (8 months). The doctor described the very small but hale and healthy baby (5lbs even) as remarkable, possibly miraculous, a sign in the silence of Michelle's life while in exile. The name was carefully chosen -- as what else could occupy Michelle in her months of silent exile. It means "God is my oath" and can easily be shortened to Eli, the name of David's brother who was killed in battle with Gath. Elisheba has Michelle's dark hair, but quite obviously David's eyes. Anyone who knows David would not doubt the paternity. Any perceived relationship with Paul Ash was simply a cover for Silas's benefit. Michelle does feel badly about that because Paul is not a horrible person and deserved better. but you don't really care for music do you? Jack Benjamin: Her twin brother, and rival (on his end, not on her end) because she is older by four minutes. When they were younger, they were close confidantes, but not so as adults. The relationship is a bit messy as she disagreed with his bid for the crown, and he threatened to have her shot. Also, there might be a succession issue considering God crowned David king, and does not want Jack. As far as Michelle is aware, he knows nothing of Elisheba. What complicates things even more, is that during her illness, Jack donated the bone marrow (it was not perfect, but it was as close to a match as possible, within the family) that saved her life. Rose Benjamin: Never as close with Rose as she was her father, Michelle was promised by her mother that she would fix everything, when Michelle told her she was pregnant. Rose fixed it by having her exiled for a year. Perhaps that was not the punishment Michelle first thought it was. Once Michelle's problems became more adult, Rose was a bigger confidante in her life. Silas Benjamin: He made a deal with death to keep Michelle -- something of which she is unaware. His desire to keep her his little girl, and, in a way, her desire to let him keep her as such, makes her much closer to her father. This is evidenced by his calling her "puppy," a nickname he also uses for Michelle's much younger half brother, Seth -- as he sees them both as children. The problem is, that he cannot handle her being an adult. the baffled king composing hallelujah Michelle is the elder of the Benjamin twins, but, despite this, was never raised as heir to the throne, nor did she ever wish to be. As princess, her life was planned -- every moment, every event, to the point that three unplanned events had the biggest impact on her life, physically, morally, and spiritually. In her later teens, Michelle suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia and, by all medical accounts, should have died. This caused a crisis in the kingdom as King Silas refused to deal with ruling Gilboa and attended his daughter's bedside, expecting her to shortly pass. Michelle is unaware of the contract made between her father regarding her survival, and made her own vow to God -- to live for others, not herself. Her father, though insisting it was unneeded, did not bother to explain why, when he was asked to bear witness. The illness left her, as believed by all, barren, so she filled her time with charitable causes. Her main focus was on petitioning for better health care. This leads to several rejected petitions to the court, and, finally, success for her health care bill when she teams up with Paul Lash and all his money. While this is something that pleases Rose, and gets Michelle's health care bill passed, thanks to her appeals at Judgement Day, Initially, this resulted in some serious overload of the health care system, but also directly resulted in her father being notified of an impending plague, and thus was able to save Shiloh. your faith was strong Considering the turmoil of the previous year in Shiloh, exile was not only quiet, but also peaceful. Essentially, all Michelle had to do was stay healthy during her pregnancy, and try not to go mad without anyone for company. That latter one was much harder than the first. Even the doctor sent to treat her during her pregnancy said nothing other than the required questions. Small care packages of clothes, some money, and food, frequently arrived during her time in exile, but about rhee months in, other packages started to arrive. In them, were newspapers from Shiloh, and internal memos in the palace, along with a note in the first one. "If you read it, it's like you were there." Through this, Michelle has been able to keep up with both the political landscape, and the family turmoil -- particularly Lucinda's pregnancy and escape, as well as Jack's escape. Nearer the end ofher pregnancy, a nurse, Mera, stayed with her for safety's sake. As the child was born early, Mera, ignoring the conditions of the exile, stayed in Michelle's employ, and is the one to care for her when Michelle is off searching for her husband and brother. She is never longer than a day away from Elisheba, but feels confident in leaving the infant in the other woman's care. As it stands, Mera raised 5 children of her own to adulthood. During her time in exile, Michelle's become far more cognizant of the signs in her life -- the packages, the snake on the property, the sudden desire to follow the road that led her to Xanadu. Thus, she's become both more faithful, and more believing in the mystical elements of faith. but you needed proof The guys Jack Benjamin: Her twin brother and all sorts of complications. Four minutes can change everything, can't it? Melou: All the signs around this young man from Camelot, is causing Michelle to think he's perfectly trustworthy. In fact, when he offered to work as a bodyguard for Elisheba, she accepted, on the condition Elisheba like him. Once she finds a place of her own in Xanadu, she will make sure there is room for him. you saw her bathing on the roof The girls in Xanadu Mera: An NPC, Mera is, officially, Elisheba's nurse. As she is a widow with five grown sons, she's willingly moving to Xanadu with Michelle to help with David's heir. I've seen your flag on the marble arch What's been happening in Xanadu land. love is not a victory march An extra space that I'll use up at some point. it's a cold and broken hallelujah Allison Miller's face belongs to her, as the character, technically, belongs to NBC, but I probably love her more. The lyrics belong to Leonard Cohen, not one of the 1209484908340398 people who have covered this song. Category:Living Category:Characters